Greenville plays host to student music festival

The Greenville High School jazz band pauses to pose during the lunch break at the Region V Music Festival at GHS on March 14. Photo by Lee Crosse

Lee Crosse

Staff Writer

3/21/2013

Dozens of students from Lassen and Plumas County gathered in Greenville on March 14 to participate in the Region V Music Festival.

Greenville High School music teacher Jim Norman, who has been involved with the festival for 38 years, hosted the event, which started in the 1950s.

The festival is a judged event, and groups receive a rating and a score sheet with verbal comments recorded by the judges as music simultaneously plays in the background. This gives the students the opportunity listen to the judges’ critique and their music at the same time.

The festival was adjudicated by Dr. Lloyd Roby, professor of music and director of low brass studies for California State University, Chico and Mr. Ray Craig, retired band director and Northern California Band and Choir Directors Association Director of the Year for 1991.

According to Norman, “This is not a competition, there is not a winner and it is the only opportunity over the course of the year to see performances by their peers.”

This year’s festival featured 13 musical groups from 10 schools, elementary through high school.

According to Norman, “This is the only music festival for Plumas and Lassen county. It’s a very important event. It’s important that everyone who attends has a positive experience.”